Since Day One
by EmmaLouHoo322
Summary: If she really thought about it Abigail was positive she had been in love with him since day one.
1. Chapter 1

If she really thought about it Abigail was positive she had been in love with him since day one.

xxx

"Bye mum, bye dad!" a little brunette yelled waving at her parents from the window of the scarlet train. "I'll send you _loads_ of owls!"

Her father waved at her while her mother wiped her eyes. It would be the first time the little girl was away from home. The first time she would ever be by herself.

She knew she should be worried, but all she felt was excitement. Since she had come from a muggle family she had known nothing of the magical world until about two months ago when a tall, shrewd-looking woman had come knocking at her door. The woman had introduced herself as Minerva McGonagall and had told Abigail's parents that their daughter was special and had been accepted into Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry.

At first Abigail's parents were angry. They thought that this McGonagall person was playing a trick on them (though how they thought a woman like McGonagall was the trick-playing type astounded Abigail). However, after the shrewd-looking woman changed their dining room table into a giant potbellied pig and back Abigail and her parents were entirely convinced.

Since that day Abigail had been impatiently awaiting the day that she could see this castle on the hill; the place where she would be studying for the next seven years of her life and now there she was, heading straight toward her new home.

She didn't know anybody. All the first years she ran into seemed to come from a magical family and she felt completely left out. Anxious to get away from the crowd of magically gifted first years, she set off in search of an empty compartment.

xxx

Abigail was still searching when it happened. There was a loud bang and the tiny hallway that she was trying to maneuver through exploded in brilliant light. For a moment Abigail was blinded. She flailed her arms wildly and tumbled to the floor.

"_Excellent!_" A voice called out somewhere behind her. "George, get out another one! Let's do it again."

Abigail was struggling to her feet, blinking away the spots in her eyes. Turning quickly, she searched for the voice.

"_Stop!_" She yelled as she caught two twin boys pressing their wand tips to the fuse of a Zonko's firework. A bag lay at their feet; it was half full of more fireworks.

They looked up, astonished at seeing another person in the corridor. The firework sizzled as it caught fire and burst through the window.

"What the _bloody hell _do you think you're doing?" Abigail exclaimed, gesturing toward the broken window. "You could have killed me! Are you both that stupid or are you just psychotic?"

Shocked at her outburst, the two boys mouthed wordlessly at each other and then back at her. Finally, one spoke up.

"My apologies ma'am; we meant you no harm." He swept into a bow that only outraged Abigail further, so they thought this was a game?

Without thinking she stomped toward them and yanked the bag of fireworks away from them. The one who spoke to her reached out a hand to try and stop her but a glare sent him cowering away. She was going to show them what it felt like to be completely blindsided. Abigail dug through the bag finally choosing the biggest firework she could find and pressed her wand tip to it. The boy's eyes widened in a mixture of fear and awe. This girl had some balls.

When the firework went off the whole compartment shuddered. Abigail could hear compartment doors opening as students of all years poked their heads out to see what all the racket and bright light was about. Once again, Abigail found herself flat on her back blinking away spots in her eyes. To her amusement, the boys who had started this all were moaning and groaning a few feet away from her.

"Bloody hell, Fred. That was not a good idea." Said one boy rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, you're probably right, George." The other said.

Abigail got up and dusted herself off. Still blinking away the spots in her eyes, she walked over to the two twin boys and offered the closest one a hand. For a second he just stared at her, looking her over to make sure that she didn't have another firework up her sleeve. When he decided she was completely safe he gave her a toothy smile and took her hands.

"My name is Fred." He said, shaking her hand. "That's my brother George. Would you like to sit with us?"

Abigail didn't even hesitate. She knew she should probably be angry at them for their dangerous behavior, but all she felt was pure excitement at the fact that she had made two new friends with the help of a couple of fireworks.

xxx

Fred and George told her of their lives as the country side sped by. Abigail was absolutely fascinated. She wanted to know all about The Burrow and their father's job in the Ministry of Magic. They regaled tales of de-gnoming the garden, often getting up to show her the exact form one would need to take to launch a gnome at least 50 feet in the air. In all her excitement about her new friends Abigail didn't even realize that they were almost to Hogwarts until a fifth year knocked on their compartment to tell them to change into their robes.

For one heart stopping moment Abigail worried that she would have to leave Fred and George after they exited the train, but they assured her they wouldn't go anywhere without her.

"You're one of us now, Abs." Fred said, winking at her, "We've told you entirely too much about our family to let you go."

xxx

"Abigail Miller."

Abigail gulped and stepped forward, staring at the crumpled up old hat sitting on the stool in front of her. What if she was sorted into Slytherin? She glanced nervously at the green and silver table sitting at the far end of the dining room. They seemed to sneer at her from across the room. She gulped and sat down, pulling the hat over the top of her head.

It debated for awhile, she could feel it poking and prodding in her mind.

_Not a bad mind, hmmm…she's got courage. Ah, and a strong sense of independence. And love, much love. Right, then obviously it must be…_

"GRYFFINDOR."

Abigail let out a huge breath she didn't realize she had been holding and went to go sit at her new table. Everyone was cheering and a couple of people patted her on the back. A third year boy who looked a lot like Fred and George offered the plate next to him and introduced himself as Percy Weasley.

"Welcome to Gryffindor." He said, pushing his horn-rimmed glasses up further on his face and giving her a brief smile before turning back to the Sorting.

After much waiting, finally each of the twins were called up and pulled the Sorting Hat over their head. The Hat seemed to know exactly where they were meant to go, it had barely touched their heads before the Hat exclaimed "GRYFFINDOR!" and they were sent racing toward the cheering Gryffindor table.

"We're in Gryffindor together, Abs!" Fred exclaimed wrapping his arm around her and giving her a tight squeeze. "We can cause all kind of mischief together!"

Percy gave a disapproving sniff and dug into the food that had magically appeared on the plates in front of him.

"Don't mind him," George whispered into her ear, "he doesn't know how to have fun. Stick with us and we'll show you how to have a right good time here at Hogwarts."

* * *

><p><strong>So I've definitely written this story about a hundred different times a hundred different ways. Hopefully this will end up better than the other copies but please ignore any blindingly cliche parts in this chapter. It's late-ish and writing is hard. Anyhoo, I'm in love with Fred Weasley and I think that his death was totally uncalled for. This is how I think his story should have gone with the help of my character Abigail Miller.<strong>

**Tell me what you guys think, I'm anxious to hear! Also if I get anything wrong be sure to point it out to me and I'll try to fix it. I want to make this as close to J.K. Rowling's idea as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Six Years Later—**

Abigail was definitely in love with her best friend. Every time he entered a room her heart gave a leap and she dropped everything she was holding. Whenever he shot a smile or a wink in her direction she would blush furiously and stammer about how she needed to finish an assignment before slipping away so she didn't embarrass herself further.

There was no question about it; Abigail was in love with Fred Weasley.

When the news of the upcoming Yule Ball spread through the school like wildfire, Abigail couldn't help but hope that he would ask her. She had worked everything out in her head; he would ask her in between classes one day. He wouldn't make eye contact, obviously too nervous to look into her eyes. Awkwardly he would rub the back of his neck and the right side of his lips would lift into a crooked smile. And then he would ask her and she would just float away with happiness.

xxx

The moment she had been waiting for finally happened during breakfast two weeks before the dance.

"So, about the Yule Ball?" Fred started.

Abigail's heart gave a leap.

"Yeah?" she asked, inwardly wincing at the excitement obvious in her voice, "Are you going to go?"

Fred nodded and Abigail thought she was going to have a heart attack. So this wasn't an empty hallway before class but he was looking adorably awkward and she just wanted to reach over and run her fingers through his ginger hair and _Merlin, she loved him…_

"Yeah, I'm thinking of asking Angelina."

What?

"I figured since you're a girl you'd know how I should approach her. I mean, I don't know should I just go for the direct route? Or should I go for the more suave route and sweep her off her feet?"

This didn't comprehend. He was asking her for advice about asking _someone else_ to the Yule Ball? She must have looked utterly confused because he gave a nervous laugh and ran a hand through his hair (her heart gave a painful twang; that should have been for her not for Angelina).

"Never mind, it was stupid. I'll just ask her now."

He crumpled up a piece of parchment and tossed it toward Angelina. Abigail watched it hit the side of her head. Her heart crumbled to her toes.

Angelina turned looking murderous,

"What?"

Fred winked at Abigail. It was a "watch me win the lady" wink that made her feel like she was suffocating.

"Would you like to go to the ball with me?"

There was a long pause where Fred looked expectantly at a shocked-looking Angelina. Abigail was stuck awkwardly between the two. She really wanted to sink into the floor and disappear into a puddle of embarrassment.

"Yeah." Angelina finally said. "I'd like that."

Fred's face nearly split in half from his smile. Then he winked at Abigail again and went back to his eggs and bacon. She suddenly had the urge to run; anywhere, she didn't care. Just as long as she didn't have to watch Fred send lovey dovey glances over toward Angelina.

Abigail stood up suddenly. Everyone looked up at her.

"You're not going to finish your eggs?" George asked, gesturing toward her still full plate.

She shook her head; her stomach was in knots anyways.

"I just remembered. I have an-," she trailed off. What was a reasonable excuse? "An essay! For McGonagall!"

Fred's brow furrowed. "Really? She gave us an essay. I don't remember that."

"Uh, she just gave it to me." Abigail was digging herself into a hole. "I have to go."

Before anyone else could ask any more questions she turned and walked away. She didn't look back.

xxx

She had a plan by the time she got to the girl's dormitories. Abigail was going to ask the one person that would piss Fred off the most. Percy.

The letter-writing was harder than she thought though. Every time she started a letter the words would get all jumbled up and she'd end up crumpling it up and tossing it into the trash.

"_Dear Percy,_

_The Yule Ball is coming up and since I knew you'd be there I was wondering if you would like to be my date. I did want to go with Fred but since he chose Angelina over me and totally crushed my dreams._

_Dear Percy,_

_Since Angelina is being a dumb backstabber and Fred totally broke my heart, I was wondering_."

Finally she came up with something passable.

"_Dear Percy,_

_ Would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me? I know you're coming into town to take over for Barty Crouch and I thought you'd like to be my date._

_ Sincerely, Abigail_"

It wasn't very poetic but it would have to do. She borrowed a school owl before she could change her mind. As she watched the owl fade away into the horizon it really sunk in what she had done. What if Percy said yes? Then she would be forced to go with him. After all, she had asked him. What kind of person would she be if she asked him and then backed out?

She walked back to the Gryffindor common room in a daze. Fred and George were waiting for her in the armchairs by the fire.

"Hey Abs!" Fred called cheerfully, "Did you get that essay done?"

Abigail was filled with guilt as she looked at Fred.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I did."

Anxious to get away, she slipped upstairs before Fred could ask any more questions. Unfortunately that meant she was headed straight for Angelina. It was obvious that Angelina was suspicious of what was going on. She narrowed her eyes at Abigail, trying to figure out what was going on with her. Abigail felt like she was under a microscope.

Finally, Angelina struck.

"Hey, how's it going?" She asked casually. She was pretending to fold her freshly laundered clothes but Abigail noticed she had been folding the same shirt for the past half hour.

"Pretty good." Abigail lied.

Angelina nodded absently and cleared her throat. The sound echoed awkwardly in the empty room.

"So, are you going to the dance?"

There was a long pause while Abigail tried to figure out what she would say.

"Um, yeah."

She could see Angelina's eyes brighten from across the room.

"Oh really?" She exclaimed excitedly, "Do you have a date? Do you want to double date with me and Fred?"

Abigail just barely managed to hold in a snort. The image of a double date with Percy, Fred, and Angelina was laughable. She could just imagine the look on Fred's face when she walked into the Yule Ball arm in arm with Percy Weasley. Yes, that was why she asked him to the Ball.

"Well, he hasn't exactly said yes yet." Abigail said, still smirking at the thought of Fred's face.

Angelina looked sly. Abandoning her laundry, she sank down onto the bed next to Abigail.

"Alright, spill. Who's your 'almost-date'?" she asked.

Abigail's eyes grew wide. She had spoken too much. Now she wanted to know who she asked. Merlin, what was she going to do?

"Uh…it's a surprise?" She said smiling guiltily.

There was no doubt about it, Angelina looked disappointed. She nodded good-naturedly and went back to folding her clean clothes.

Abigail sighed, she had dodged that bullet. Of course, she didn't really know why she was hiding it from people. If Percy said yes everyone in the school was going to see them together.

xxx

Abigail woke up the next day feeling like; finally, everything would be going her way. She got up at a reasonable hour for a Saturday and got dressed before everyone else. Leisurely, she took a walk around the grounds, breathing in the chilled air and just generally enjoying the day. Finally she detoured back to the Grand Hall where she planned on having breakfast.

And that's where everything went to hell.

Owl Post arrived just as she was helping herself to some bacon. She didn't even notice one particular bird flying toward her until it landed right in front of her, upsetting her pumpkin juice.

"What is Percy doing sending letters to you?" George asked, gazing confusedly at the owl hooting happily in front of a stunned Abigail.

With shaking hands, she grabbed the note. Once free of its burden, Percy's owl Hermes dipped his beak in Abigail's pumpkin juice and took off.

"Well open it!" Fred said, "Let's see what the git wants."

Abigail was trapped. Forced into it, she ripped open the letter and began to read. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

_Oh Merlin, what have I done?_

There was just one word on the piece of parchment.

_Yes._

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! Sorry its been so long. I have been held captive by AP Stat homework and Newspaper responsibilities. But I'm giving this to you because I love you all and Fred needs more love. :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

For years afterwards Abigail couldn't remember what exactly she did the few days after she got Percy's letter. She just floated through her classes, barely paying attention to what was being said. Her stomach was always in knots, dreading the day when Percy would arrive and Fred would know the truth about her Ball date.

Fred had been surprising Abigail into telling him what Percy had written her. By the harassed look on Hermione's face, Abigail figured out surprising people into telling their secrets was a Weasley family trait. Oftentimes Fred would ask during breakfast, blurting it out half-way through their conversation as the owls swooped over head. To his disappointment, however, this never worked. She usually just gave him a blank stare and went back to her eggs.

xxx

"Now listen carefully because you need this spell to help you pass your N.E. for Transfiguration." Professor McGonagall announced to the classroom.

"Just tell me what Percy said," Fred whispered, ignoring the vital information Professor McGonagall was conveying. "I don't understand why it's such a big deal."

"Maybe because it's none of your business what your brother and I talk about," Abigail snapped, finally fed up with his constant pestering.

Fred's face fell. He shifted away from her acting as though she had stung him. Abigail felt a flood of guilt wash through her. She shouldn't have lashed out like that. He was her best friend. She was in love with him for Merlin's sake. Now she'd never have the chance.

_You didn't have a chance to begin with. He likes Angelina, remember?_

Abigail snuck a glance Fred's way. He was twisting his wand in his fingers, staring absently at the wall behind McGonagall's head. He caught Angelina's eye from across the room and a sly smirk spread slowly across his lips. It made Abigail feel sick. She turned to tell him to quit making googley eyes at his new girlfriend and pay attention but before she could even open her mouth the door creaked open.

A tiny second year tripped across the threshold; his face burning with embarrassment at all the attention he was drawing to himself. He reached McGonagall and handed her the roll of parchment he had clutched in his sweaty hands. She nodded curtly at him, which he took as a dismissal. As the door shut behind him, McGonagall read the note, her eye brow quirked. Finally she looked up and surveyed the class over her spectacles.

"Abigail, the Headmaster would like to see you in his office." She said, "He would like you to know that he enjoys Sugar Quills."

Confused, Abigail gathered her things and, ignoring Fred, she headed off toward Dumbledore's office.

xxx

When she arrived at Dumbledore's office Abigail hesitated. There were voices filtering out through the door and one voice sounded agitated. She didn't want to barge in while Dumbledore was doing something secret. Perhaps she should knock first?

Abigail hadn't even raised her fist before the door swung open.

"I don't think Professor McGonagall got the message. You should have given the message to a prefect!"

And Percy ran smack into her.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, catching her before she fell.

"Ah, right on time." Dumbledore said humbly. He was still sitting calmly behind his desk, his fingers laced together.

Percy ran a hand through his hair. From the state of it he had probably been doing that repeatedly since the second year had scampered away with his note. A fresh blush spread across his cheeks and he couldn't meet Abigail's eyes.

"Ms. Miller, perhaps you could show Mr. Weasley here around the castle." Dumbledore said, regarding her over his spectacles.

As if coming up from a fog, Abigail focused on Dumbledore.

"Show him around? Professor he graduated last year."

Dumbledore smiled. Obviously there was something he knew that she didn't.

"All the better. There will be more to talk about. Perhaps young Mr. Weasley here can tell you some of his own tales of the castle. I know I have not heard them all."

There was a long pause where Abigail stared at the Professor as if trying to figure out if he was crazy or not. She looked from him to Percy and then shrugged.

"Alright then. Thanks professor."

She turned and walked out the office, Percy following mutely behind her. They remained silent until the stone eagle had rolled to a stop in front of the entrance. Once they were by themselves Percy cleared his throat and straightened his robes.

"Ahem, thank you for inviting me to the Yule Ball." He said, his ears flushing bright red.

Perhaps it was because Fred had been dogging her for days and she was finally at the end of her rope, or maybe it was simply because it was such a Percy-like thing to do; but she couldn't help the giggles building up in her throat.

For a second he stared at her incredulously. Then he began to smile. Finally, he joined her, doubled over, his hands wrapped around his middle, trying to quiet his laughs. Amidst her tears of laughter she realized that maybe inviting Percy Weasley wasn't as bad as she originally thought.

xxx

The tour of the castle went better than expected, especially after they had both sobered up. Percy would tell her of his increasingly stressful duties in the Department of International Magical Cooperation (a majority of which went way over Abigail's head) and Abigail told him of her life at Hogwarts since the start of the new school year.

Opting out of sitting at the crowded lunch tables, Abigail snuck in to grab a few sandwiches and a couple flasks of pumpkin juice, and joined Percy on the lawn by the lake. It was a brisk December afternoon but Abigail decided that she didn't mind the chill in the air. It was much better than the suffocating atmosphere of the Great Hall during the lunch hour.

"So, why aren't you going with Fred or George?" Percy asked in between bites of his sandwich.

Suddenly Abigail didn't feel very hungry. She picked at the innards of her sandwich and avoided looking at Percy.

"Erm-," she started, "well, Fred already has a date."

Percy nodded and took another bite. Once he had swallowed he looked back up at her.

"And George?"

She didn't really know how to answer this question. Why hadn't she thought of going to the Yule Ball with George? He was definitely one of her best friends and it would have saved her a week of worrying about Percy's response.

Unable to come up with an answer, she just shrugged.

"I suppose I've had enough of them." She said as an explanation, "I hang out with those two every day. Perhaps I just needed some new company."

Percy's face almost literally split in half, his smile was so huge. Apparently, that was the correct answer. He stuffed the last piece of his sandwich in his mouth and dusted his hands off. Swallowing thickly in a manner that reminded Abigail much of his youngest brother, he rose to his feet and offered his hand to her. She took it gladly, her feet slipping a little on the cold grass.

"Thanks again for inviting me." Percy said, putting an arm around her to keep her steady.

"Hey, I figured if you're going to be forced to come to this ball you should have some fun as well." She poked Percy in the ribs, smiling up at him.

Percy laughed and the glanced at his watch.

"I've got to get back to work." He said sounding a little disappointed. To be honest, Abigail felt the same way. She had never really gotten to know Percy very well since she was always causing trouble with the Weasley twins. "I'll see you tomorrow night at the Yule Ball?"

Abigail nodded and, once again, Percy's smile threatened to split his face in half. To her surprise, he bent down and placed a kiss on her cheek before taking off down the path to Hogsmeade where he could Apparate to work.

xxx

Within seconds of entering the castle, Abigail was accosted by Fred and George.

"Where were you during lunch?" George asked, "We saved you a seat and everything!"

"Yeah!" Fred exclaimed, "You missed the show!"

Abigail's stomach flipped the way it usually did whenever the twins had a clever trick up their sleeve. "Show? What show? What did you two do?"

Like flipping a switch, the twin's faces broke out into equally humongous grins.

"We had the house elves in the kitchen serve a couple plates of Canary Creams to the Slytherins. Every single one of those slimy, little, greaseballs burst into feathers. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen." Fred described, wiping a tear from his eye.

George looked at his brother appreciatively, "Fred, I think that may have been the best prank we've ever done."

Fred considered it. "George, I think you're right. Let's go cook up another trick for tomorrow."

The two turned and raced up the stairs toward Gryffindor so fast that, for a second, Abigail thought they had Disapparated. Smiling slightly to herself, she climbed the stairs after them. She had a date who seemed like one of the nicest guys she'd ever met and was well on her way to forgetting all about her unattainable dream of dating her best friend.

Things may just turn out alright.

Except everything seems to go wrong when you think that.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoa. Hey guys. Long time no see, huh?<strong>

**Anyhoo, here's the next chapter of Since Day One. I hope you enjoy and I'll try and get another one out REALLY soon. I promise. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

The Great Hall had exploded with icicles by the time Abigail had managed to make her way to breakfast. There were Christmas trees everywhere; even miniature ones on top of the house tables every couple of feet and, as students sat down, the trees would erupt into song, singing God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriff at the top of its leafy lungs. It was actually quite distracting, as Abigail could barely grab a bite of her toast before the tree was off singing a different (but equally loud) Christmas song.

All the students crowding in were buzzing with excitement. Obviously, with the Yule Ball that evening, not much work would be done so many of the teachers had given up trying to teach. It came as a mixed blessing for Abigail. Now she had all the time in the world to think about the upcoming evening with Percy and make sure she had everything ready. This however, also meant Fred could make one final attempt of ambushing her. He still hadn't given up on the fact that she and his older brother were on owl terms.

"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad!" Fred whined, during Charms. "Did you tell him what a big-headed git he was?"

Abigail sighed. "No Fred. I didn't. You can stop asking me, I'm not going to tell you."

Fred fell silent for a second. His brow was furrowed and Abigail knew he wasn't finished.

"Did you send him more dragon dung, 'cause George and I are almost fresh out."

Abigail didn't even bother to answer. He was just going to keep asking until class let out or she gave in and told him. The second option was starting to look really appealing too. Maybe that knowledge would finally shut him up.

"If you really want to know," Abigail said, turning to look at an eager Fred, "I asked him to the Yule Ball and he said yes."

There was a moment of silence while Fred just stared at her dumbstruck and, Abigail really thought she had shocked him. She felt a strange sense of pleasure at the thought of Fred knowing his best friend (apart from his brother, of course) was attending the Yule Ball with the object of his ridicule. _Take that, Fred_. She thought.

Then he started laughing.

"Oh!" Fred said, trying to catch his breath to no avail. He was laughing so hard people were actually starting to stare. "You got me there, Abs!"

Abigail forced a smile. She couldn't believe it. She had finally grown a pair and told him what she had done and he didn't believe it for more than a few seconds. Was she really that undesirable?

"Ha." She said, her false laugh sounding fake even to Fred.

"What's wrong? You told a really good joke!"

There were many things Abigail wanted to say, no yell, to Fred. She wanted to tell him how much of a laugh it was to think that some boy would actually want to go to the Ball with her. She wanted to tell him he can just go jump in the lake. She wanted to tell him that she loved him but she thought that she might be able to like Percy.

Instead she just said, "Yes, wasn't it?"

Fred wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, Abs, you're the best."

She decided to stay quiet for the rest of the period. She didn't trust herself from making Fred believe it. She would just have to show him that evening.

xxx

Abigail was hyperventilating. She had been doing her hair for the past thirty minutes and, no matter how much hair spray or magic she used, it wasn't looking precisely the way she wanted. She didn't know why she was getting so worked up about her hair in the first place. Her date was, after all, Percy. She knew she didn't have to impress him, he was just a guy she asked to make her best friend jealous. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe she was trying a little bit harder for that certain red-headed ex-Head Boy.

Finally giving up, Abigail dropped her head onto her arms. She wasn't going to cry because she wasn't the type of girl to get so worked up over something so…_stupid_. Yet she still felt the little pinpricks of the shameful tears in the back of her eyes.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." She heard someone say. "Abs, what's wrong?"

When she lifted her head, she saw Angelina. Sighing, she dropped her head back down.

"It's stupid, Angelina." She said, slyly wiping her eyes before Angelina could see her idiotic tears.

"Well, whatever it is, I can help."

She took a few seconds to consider it. Get help from Fred's date or go to the Ball with a rat nest for hair?

"Alright, I can't get my hair to do what I want it to."

"That's all?" Angelina asked and for a fleeting second Abigail wished she had just left it alone.

"Yes," she snapped, "that's all."

Angelina didn't seem to notice her irritation. Instead, she reached out to run her fingers through Abigail's hair.

"I think I know what you were trying to do." She murmured, more to herself than to Abigail.

In a few quick minutes Abigail's hair was piled on top of her head in the most beautiful arrangement she had ever seen. She hated the fact at how much she loved it.

"Thanks Angelina." She said begrudgingly.

"No problem," Angelina said waving a hand like it wasn't a big deal. "So are you still going with your 'surprise' date?"

Angelina thought of Percy, of his laugh, and the day they had spent together just the previous afternoon. She suddenly realized she was smiling to herself. Quickly she wiped that smile away and turned back to the mirror to start putting on her make-up.

"Yeah. I'm meeting him in the common room."

Angelina's eyes lit up, "So I get to meet him before the Ball?"

Abigail shrugged, nonchalant. "Maybe. I don't know if he'll be here in time for the very first dance."

"So he doesn't go to this school?"

Abigail realized she might be saying too much but she was on a roll and she couldn't stop herself.

"Well he graduated a year ago."

She could almost hear the cogs grinding together in Angelina's head. Maybe she had said too much?

"I've got nothing," Angelina finally said. Abigail let out a breath. "Are you sure you won't tell me?"

Abigail forced a smile at her, "Positive."

They dressed in silence, broken only a couple of times when Angelina would hazard a guess as to who Abigail's mystery man was. All of her suggestions were answered with silence and, finally, she just stopped asking. Abigail supposed she should feel bad for ignoring the girl who used to be the closest thing she had to a friend who wasn't a Weasley but when she made to start a conversation with Angelina she heard his voice.

"Angel-EEEEEEENAAAAA!" Fred was screaming up the stairs.

Angelina rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, but Abigail still saw the smile tugging on her lips.

"He's crazy." She said, turning to Abigail. "I don't know how you can handle it."

Abigail pulled her dress over her head. It fell around her in a cloud of red and gold gauze. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and her first thought was of a sunset. However, she didn't feel quite as beautiful as Angelina looked. After all, she had the perfect Ball date and Abigail had the perfect Ball date's brother.

"Yeah. Me neither." She whispered.

Angelina straightened her bodice and ran her hand over her sleek dark hair checking for any misplaced strands. She stepped into her heels and turned back to look at Abigail, still staring into space wondering how she could ever compete.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at the Ball with your mystery date." She said with a wink and then she pulled open the door and was gone.

Abigail sunk back into the chair in front of the vanity. She didn't want to go to the Ball anymore. There was no way she could walk into the Great Hall and see Fred and Angelina having such a great time. She shouldn't have asked Percy, shouldn't have led him on like she did.

Merlin, she was an idiot.

Minutes passed. Abigail could hear the rush of students clamoring down the stairs, meeting with their dates, and exchanging hastily made magical corsages that squirted smelly goo into the faces of any other person wanting to steal a dance. She did not move to join them. Maybe if she stayed up in the dormitories he would lose hope and go back to his job with Mr. Crouch and forget all about the girl who had ditched him before the Ball even started.

"Abigail?"

Abigail jumped. Someone was in the room. She hadn't even heard the door open. Whirling around she came face to face with-.

"Percy! How did you get in here? The stairs-!" She gestured wildly behind him at the stairs that were miraculously still stair shaped.

"Being a Head Boy still has its perks, even a year later." Percy said, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses.

He thrust a bouquet of flowers at her. Abigail was surprised to see that, instead of the obvious choice of roses, he had chosen a bunch of wildflowers. She pressed her nose to them and inhaled. They smelled lovely and they helped Abigail forget all about Angelina and Fred.

"Would you like to accompany me to the Great Hall?" Percy asked, extending an arm. Abigail rose to catch it. Perhaps this night wouldn't be so bad after all.

xxx

It was like any school dance. A large group of students had clustered at the stage where the music was the loudest. They weren't exactly dancing, more like jumping up and down to the beat. Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Hogwarts blended together until it was nothing more than a clump of teenagers having the time of their lives. Abigail smiled at the sight of it. Even the wallflowers looked like they were having fun, even if they were resting against the wall waiting for an invite to dance that may or may not come.

"Would you like to dance?" Percy asked, gesturing to the undulating mob at the front of the Hall.

Abigail wrinkled her nose at the undulating crowd and shook her head.

"Not right now." She said, catching a glimpse of Angelina and Fred dancing wildly together, "How about some punch?"

Percy nodded curtly, as though that was his idea all along and took off in search of her punch. It was then, standing all by herself, that Fred took notice of her. Pulling Angelina along behind him, he met Abigail in the middle of the Hall, a little sweaty and a little out of breath.

"Abs, you look great!" He exclaimed and Abigail couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks.

"Where's this secret date of yours?" Angelina said, looking around as though he was hiding behind her or amongst Abigail's skirts.

Fred's eyes lit up in the strangest way. Abigail could see mostly curiosity but there was something else entirely hidden amongst it, was it jealousy?

"Oh? A _secret date_?" He said, elbowing her in the ribs, "As your best friend you have to tell me. I promise I won't make fun of you too much."

He winked at her and she felt her heart do a little flip.

"I mean, your date can't be as bad as if you decided to take that git of a brother Percy!" Fred started laughing but Abigail couldn't even crack a fake smile.

Of course, as her luck would have it, Percy appeared at her side, clutching two classes of punch and narrowing his eyes at his younger brother. Fred's laughter died on his tongue, the smile sliding from his lips. In confusion he glanced between Percy and Abigail.

"Fred, how nice to see you." Percy said in a tense tone.

"Weatherby!" Fred exclaimed, forcing the confusion away, choosing instead to take the time to poke fun at his older brother, "What are you doing here? Did good ole Mr. Crouch finally let you see the light of day?"

Percy straightened himself up and in a pompous tone answered with his own staggering blow.

"If you really want to know, Abigail asked me to the Ball and I said yes."

There was no hint of a joke on Fred's face, for once in his life he was left speechless. And that's how Percy left him. Wrapping an arm around Abigail's shoulders, he led her away. She chanced a glance over her shoulder while he was preoccupied with ranting about what a prig his brother was, and all she saw was Fred glowering at her from across the room.

For awhile it was just her and Percy. He would talk to her about what he was doing in the Ministry and she would just smile and nod and look anxiously around for Fred. Why was she acting like this? This was what she wanted wasn't it? She forced herself to focus on Percy but he had stepped away from her with promises about being back in just a few minutes, he just really needed to go talk to that Ministry official across the room.

Almost as if he had Apparated, Fred was next to her.

"Why did you ask him to go with you?" he snapped. "What kind of friend are you?"

This wasn't anything like what she had expected. Angrily, Abigail couldn't help the words bubbling up her throat.

"Maybe I asked him because I liked him, because he's actually a sweet guy. What kind of friend are _you_?"

Fred narrowed his eyes at Percy, still chatting to some Auror across the Hall.

"He's just using you. A pretty face, that's all you are to him. He'll use you to get ahead in the Ministry and then he'll dump you for someone who can help him higher up the ladder."

It was like a slap across the face. Abigail felt like she couldn't breathe. What had gotten into him? How could he say these things to her? She could feel the sting of tears in her eyes. She felt the overwhelming need to make him feel the pain he was causing her.

The sound of the slap was echoing. A few heads turned but not enough to really attract attention. After all, this was a dance full of adolescents. Drama like this was cropping up all over the place. What was one more heated argument, one more injured pride?

"How dare you Fred Weasley! You are supposed to be my best friend; that means you support me in whatever decision I make! Percy is twice the man you'll ever be! At least he has a steady job with real work! All you'll ever amount to is selling worn out jokes to delinquents. Why can't you just grow up and leave me alone?"

She caught a glimpse at the shocked expression on his face and the hurt in his eyes before she sprinted out of the Great Hall, hauling her dress up above her calves to escape faster.

xxx

He found her in record time. Perhaps he had hidden in the same place so many times he knew that would be the first place to look.

"Hey."

Abigail wiped the tears quickly from her eyes. If this was Fred for round two, she wouldn't be showing any weakness. She would slap him across the face again if she had to.

"Go away." She retorted, her voice sounding shaky.

"Don't be like that," the person said, "Fred's just a git. All Weasley's are at some point. Would you let me sit with you?"

Abigail looked up into the concerned face of Percy. She smiled weakly at him and nodded, scooting over so he had space to join her on the bench in the hidden corridor. He sat down next to her with a sigh but remained quiet. She liked that about him. As dumb as the Weasley children could be at times, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. He also didn't try to put his arm around her to comfort her. The warmth of him next to her was enough. Silently, she reached out and laced her fingers through his.

"Sorry I haven't been much of a date tonight." She murmured, resting her head on his shoulder.

Percy scoffed, "Don't worry about it. I haven't been that much of a date either. I should have been twirling you around the dance floor or something."

"Well, I guess we're both just terrible dance partners." Abigail joked, giggling to herself despite her tears.

Percy chuckled, "Yeah I guess we are. What a perfect pair."

There was a pause where what he had just said sunk in. The silence grew louder and louder until Abigail thought she would go deaf from it.

"Percy, I don't really want to go back to the Ball if that's ok with you." Abigail said, finally shattering the silence, "Do you want to take another walk around the grounds or something?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping I would have at least one dance with you tonight." Percy said, his ears flaming red.

"Oh." Was all Abigail could say.

Without warning, Percy stood. He whirled around to face Abigail and offered her his hand. When she took it he spun her to him and, once he had pulled her close, he began to sway, pulling her in a circle.

"I know there's no music," he admitted, "but even I have a good enough imagination."

Abigail chuckled and rested her head on the crook of his shoulder. He smelled of cheap cologne, ink, and old parchment. She decided it was one of her favorite smells in the entire world.

"Thank you for coming to the Yule Ball with me, Perce." She whispered.

"Any time. You just say the word and I'll be there." Percy replied.

She pulled back. The imaginary song had ended, this was where she would say something about getting back to her dorm and would leave him there, wondering what had just happened. But instead, she did something she had never dreamed she would ever do.

She kissed him.

It wasn't anything special, a small peck on the lips that's all. His lips were soft and warm and so were his arms that were still wrapped around her. When she pulled away, he had the brightest smile on his lips. He gladly walked her back to the portrait hole and, when it was time for him to go, he cupped her cheek and brought her lips to his for one last goodnight kiss that was even better than the last.

And she almost enjoyed it, except for the flash of red and the slam of a boy's dormitory door that told her she hadn't been alone with just one Weasley.

* * *

><p><strong>So this is soon right? No, its not? Well poop. Sorry guys.<strong>

**It's April and you know what that means. May is swiftly coming upon us. Which means I am in the middle of racing to finish school without completely flunking out.**

**Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really enjoyed writing it. This is pretty much exactly how I saw it in my head. What do you think of Percy? Whatta cutie huh? And Fred? What an ass right?**

**It's been awhile since I've updated and I'm super duper sorry about that. I love you guys. :)**


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